Tag Archives: Pesticides

California’s Strawberry Industry Is Hooked on Dangerous Pesticides

by Bernice Yeung, Kendall Taggart and Andrew Donohue, Center for Investigative Reporting

Growers rely on heavy amounts of some of the most dangerous pesticides – a class called fumigants – to deliver the fruit year-round at an affordable price for consumers. Because strawberries like to grow where people like to live, in the perpetual spring of coastal California, growers often use the pesticides near schools, homes and businesses. … Nearly a decade after the pesticide was supposed to be banned, the state’s strawberry growers have staved off the deadline by warning of financial ruin. Today, they use about 90 percent of all the methyl bromide in the developed world. Read More ›